An online dictionary is a dictionary

Dictionary

A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...

 that is accessible via the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 through a web browser

Web browser

A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...

. They can be made available in a number of ways: free, free with a paid subscription for extended or more professional content, or a paid-only service. Some online dictionaries are organized as lists of words, similar to a glossary

Glossary

A glossary, also known as an idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms...

, while others offer search features, reverse lookup

Reverse lookup

Reverse lookup may refer to:* Reverse telephone directory* Reverse DNS lookup* Method for verifying that the correct translation has been chosen when using a bilingual dictionary...

s, and additional language tools and content such as verb conjugations, grammar references, and discussion forums.

Selected online English dictionaries using established content

• Oxford Dictionaries Online Oxford Dictionary of English; New Oxford American Dictionary; Oxford Thesaurus of English; Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus
• Cambridge Dictionaries Online Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
• Dictionary.com Dictionary.com Unabridged v. 1.1 and American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Ed.
• Ask Velazquez Velazquez Spanish and English Dictionary
• Longman Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• Macmillan Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners
• Merriam-Webster OnLine Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
• Oxford University Press Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• Wiktionary
  Wiktionary
  Wiktionary is a multilingual, web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in 158 languages...
  
   A collaborative project run by the Wikimedia Foundation

Other Examples

Multilingual

• LEO (website)
  LEO (website)
  LEO is an Internet based electronic dictionary and translation dictionary initiated by the computer science department of the Technische Universität München in Germany...
  
   Free multilingual collaborative dictionary for German.
• Ultralingua
  Ultralingua
  Ultralingua is a single-click and drag-and-drop multilingual translation dictionary, thesaurus, and language reference utility. The full suite of Ultralingua language tools is available free online without the need for download and installation....
  
   Free and premium multilingual dictionary.
• Multitran
  Multitran
  Multitran is an Internet-based dictionary system.-Languages:Multitran includes the following online dictionaries:* English-Russian and Russian-English* German-Russian and Russian-German* Spanish-Russian and Russian-Spanish...
  
  , a multilingual Internet-based dictionary centered on Russian language.
• Webster's Online Dictionary: The Rosetta Edition: a multilingual online dictionary which compiles different online dictionaries and encyclopedia including Wiktionary and Wikipedia.
• Pictual (website)
  Pictual (website)
  Pictual is an Internet based electronic dictionary and translation dictionary initiated. Its dictionaries can be consulted free online from any web browser.- Dictionaries :...
  
   Free Internet-based visual dictionary, English-German-French-Spanish.

Bilingual

• WWWJDIC
  WWWJDIC
  WWWJDIC is an online Japanese dictionary based on the electronic dictionaries compiled and collected by Australian academic Jim Breen. The main Japanese–English dictionary files contain around 150,000 entries, and the ENAMDICT dictionary contains over 720,000 Japanese names...
  
   Japanese–English
• zhongbaotong.com Chinese-Bulgarian and Bulgarian-Chinese online free dictionary.

English language

• Reference.com
  Reference.com
  Reference.com is an online encyclopedia, thesaurus, and dictionary. The site also provides machine translation and web search.Reference.com was launched by InReference, Inc in February, 1997. The site was later acquired by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. In 2005, Lexico announced that Reference.com...
  
   Word and language tool portal.
• Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
  Free On-line Dictionary of Computing
  The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing is an online, searchable, encyclopedic dictionary of computing subjects. It was founded in 1985 by Denis Howe and is hosted by Imperial College London...
  
  
• Logos Dictionary
  Logos Dictionary
  Logos Dictionary is a large multilingual online dictionary provided by Logos Group, a European translation company. It was started in 1995, and as of 2005 contains over 7 million terms in over 200 languages, some one them minority languages as Breton, Leonese, Scots or Venetian...
  
   Free online with additional premium content.
• Online Etymology Dictionary
  Online Etymology Dictionary
  The Online Etymology Dictionary is an online dictionary that describes the origins of English-language words. The abbreviation, OED, coincides with the frequently used acronym for the Oxford English Dictionary.-Description:...
  
  
• Pseudodictionary
  Pseudodictionary
  Pseudodictionary is an online dictionary for neologisms. It was founded in 2001. Site visitors submit an original word or phrase for inclusion, giving a description and an example. Unlike most collaborative dictionary websites, such as Urban Dictionary and Wiktionary, Pseudodictionary does not...
  
   Dictionary of user submitted made-up words (humour).
• Smart Define Word definitions and thesaurus.
• Urban Dictionary
  Urban Dictionary
  Urban Dictionary is a Web-based dictionary of slang words and phrases, which contained over 6 million definitions . Submissions are regulated by volunteer editors and rated by site visitors...
  
   Dictionary of slang.
• WordNet
  WordNet
  WordNet is a lexical database for the English language. It groups English words into sets of synonyms called synsets, provides short, general definitions, and records the various semantic relations between these synonym sets...
  
  , a word database.
• Wordnik
  Wordnik
  Wordnik.com is an online dictionary and language resource that provides dictionary and thesaurus content, some of it based on print dictionaries such as the Century Dictionary, the American Heritage Dictionary, WordNet, and GCIDE...
  
  
• Wordweb
  WordWeb
  WordWeb is an international English dictionary and thesaurus program for Microsoft Windows and iPhone. Available for download online, the program is partly based on the WordNet database.- Functions :...
  
   Free and premium online English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows.

Other specific languages

• Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian
  Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian
  Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian is the complete thesaurus of the Lithuanian language and is one of the most extensive lexicographical pieces in the world....
  
  
• Dictionary of the Scots Language
  Dictionary of the Scots Language
  The Dictionary of the Scots Language is an online Scots-English dictionary, now run by Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, a charity and limited company...
  
  
• Susning.nu
  Susning.nu
  Susning.nu was a Swedish language wiki, started in October 2001 by Lars Aronsson . In its first three years , Susning.nu ran as an open wiki that anyone could edit...
  
   Free Swedish online dictionary, opened 2001, now defunct
• Private Sözlük
  Private Sözlük
  Private Sözlük collaborative hypertext Turkish dictionary and encyclopedia site that shares a similar concept with Ekşi Sözlük. Its aim is to build a community of contributors who believe that to share knowledge is to share life. The web site was created by Nursel Evecan, who posts under the...
  
   Turkish collaborative dictionary
• Ekşi Sözlük Turkish collaborative dictionary
• Plattmakers
  Plattmakers
  Plattmakers is a Low Saxon online dictionary project. With more than 14,500 word entries its one of the most extensive Low Saxon online dictionaries...
  
   Low Saxon online dictionary
• Van Dale Dictionary of the Dutch language
• Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal
  Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal
  Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal is a dictionary of the Dutch language. It has over 430,000 entries of Dutch words from 1500 to 1921 and the paper edition consists of 43 volumes and close to 50,000 pages. The dictionary was almost 150 years in the making: the first fascicle was published in...
  
   Dictionary of the Dutch language (free registration required)

See also

• Bilingual dictionary
  Bilingual dictionary
  A bilingual dictionary or translation dictionary is a specialized dictionary used to translate words or phrases from one language to another. Bilingual dictionaries can be unidirectional, meaning that they list the meanings of words of one language in another, or can be bidirectional, allowing...
  
  
• Electronic dictionary
  Electronic dictionary
  An electronic dictionary is a dictionary whose data exists in digital form and can be accessed through a number of different media. Electronic dictionaries can be found in several forms, including:*as dedicated handheld devices...
  
  
• Encyclopedic dictionary
  Encyclopedic dictionary
  An encyclopedic dictionary typically includes a large number of short listings, arranged alphabetically, and discussing a wide range of topics. Encyclopedic dictionaries can be general, containing articles on topics in many different fields; or they can specialize in a particular field...
  
  
• Medical dictionary
  Medical dictionary
  A medical dictionary is a lexicon for words used in medicine. The three major English language medical dictionaries are Stedman's, Taber's, and Dorland's Pocket Medical Dictionary. Other significant medical dictionaries are distributed by Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and...
  
  
• Picture dictionary
  Picture dictionary
  A picture dictionary or pictorial dictionary is a dictionary where the definition of a word is displayed in the form of a drawing or photograph. Picture dictionaries are useful in a variety of teaching environments, such as teaching a young child about their native language, or instructing older...
  
  
• Rhyming dictionary
  Rhyming dictionary
  A rhyming dictionary is a specialist dictionary designed for use in writing poetry and lyrics. In a rhyming dictionary, words are categorized into equivalence classes that consist of words which rhyme with one another...
  
  
• Thesaurus
  Thesaurus
  A thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning , in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations...
  
  
• Translation dictionary
• Visual dictionary
  Visual dictionary
  A visual dictionary is a dictionary that primarily uses pictures to illustrate the meaning of words. Visual dictionaries are often organized by themes, instead of being an alphabetical list of words. For each theme, an image is labeled with the correct word to identify each component of the item...
  
  
• List of online encyclopedias

External links

• QwickUp Not a dictionary but providing access to most of popular online dictionaries simultaneously.
• Ourway English/Persian dicionary Ourway Farsi/English dictionary